Dream of Avalon
So I have enough writing on Dream of Avalon to make a topic for it. Yay :) This will be very slow to update, but I will be working on it. Anyways, yea. Hope you like it :3 At this time DoA is merely a skeleton of a story, it's just basic characters, ideas, and plot. The world it is set in is not well developed at this time, so if you can't envision it well .. heh, neither can I. Anyways, here we go. Hopefully I'll get some cover art soon. Chapter 1 Broken World Light flickered across the dimly lit room’s cold gray walls, softly lighting the features of the young boy’s face. He bent over the screens that caused it, short fingers tapping buttons with precision, so accustomed to their task he did not look down at what they were pressing. He looked from one of the five screens to the next, and so on, warm brown skin taking on a bluish glow from the light. The boy paused, frowned, and tapped a few buttons, making the landscape on one of the screens shift from the sunrise over a city of twisted metal and stone, to an aerial view of a shadowed street. A few more taps made the other four screens dim, and the picture on the fifth zoom in on three figures, standing in the lonely alley. The boy’s dark brown eyes glimmered with suppressed sadness as he pressed another button, and white letters blinked in the screen’s top right corner. ‘Recording’. He watched for a moment as one of the alley’s occupants shoved another against the wall, growling in his face. The boy sighed, looking at the white letters in the lower left corner of the screen, that read, ‘Sound: Off’ Tapping broke the silence fractionally, and the brutal scene flickered, changing to another landscape just as the unfortunate man was thrown to the ground by his captor. The boy shook his head, knowing it would only get worse. He absently read the intel on the new cityscape, ‘Mizvah, lower half. Time: 5:26 AM. Recording: Yes. Sound: Off’ He leaned back in his chair, stating, “Set all cameras to record until 11:59 AM.” “That is non-advisable.” The tinny voice of a stiff-sounding woman answered him, obviously recorded. “The drain on the system’s power source will be considerable, Shalom.” “Just do it.” His voice was tired. There was a momentary pause, filled only by the hum of the computer, before the voice responded. “Request failed, all cameras not online.” Shalom sat up fully, asking, “What? Which ones are off?” “Just one. Camera twenty-one is dysfunctional. Shall I request it be looked at?” “Yes.” Shalom frowned deeply. The cameras did malfunction from time to time, but they were resilient, and problems didn’t occur often. Apparently today was not his lucky day. He looked up, adding, “And see that all cameras aside from twenty-one are recording until 11:59 AM.” “Yes Shalom.” The tinny voice responded. “Recordings started.” There was a scraping as he stood, finalizing, “Put all screens in sleep mode to minimize the power usage.” “Yes Shalom. System minimalized until you return.” He walked out of the cool, stone-gray room and into the next, exactly the same size and furnished just as slightly. An old futon sat in one corner, sheets rumpled and messy as he’d neglected to straighten them. A barren desk decorated another corner, vacant aside from three kerosene lanterns and several jars. A cabinet, a shelf with a few books on it, and a single chair were the only other objects in the large space. Light filtered in through a few skylights in the ceiling, at least fifteen feet above him. Shalom walked across the expanse that was his home, slipping out the doorway that led into a dimly lit hallway. This hall and the rooms adjoining it were almost all he could remember. He walked to the end of the hall, and the large, thick panels of glass that made up the wall, metal beams dividing it into nine monumental sections. Shalom laid his hand on one, in the collection of smeared handprints he’d left there previously. The city of Mizvah spread gloriously out before him, stone and metal buildings clawing at the golden sunrise, cast the streets below them into deep, rusty shadows. At the very fringes of the view, Shalom could see the barren, golden sand sifting over brown, cracked dirt. He slowly sat down beside the window, resting his arms on the sill, and his head on them. No matter how many times he stared at it, it always managed to make him feel totally tiny and insignificant. The clank of a latch echoed throughout the hall, and Shalom just winced, not looking up as soft footsteps rang out behind him. He didn’t say anything, after all, there wasn’t much point. “You are wondering again, aren’t you?” A soft voice spoke, almost not wording it as a question. Shalom shrugged. “No master Bek.” The man walked the rest of the way to the window, looking out of it with a dull, worn expression. “Then you should be going about your duties, until your watch is over. Very clever that you managed to override the system, but very inefficient for power usage.” Shalom felt a little resentment that master Bek always seemed to know what he was doing, even if he expected nothing less. “You noticed?” “Yes, exactly two days, six hours ago.” Was the matter-of-fact answer. “Why didn’t you do anything, then?” Shalom asked, dully. Something about being around master Bek made him feel just as unexcited about everything as the middle-aged man. His apathy was contagious. Bek continued to look out of the window. “I did not find it to be the top priority. But now you’ve lost a camera, so I’m here to fix both problems.” Shalom didn’t answer, just let his head tip forward, sighing as some thick black ringlets of his curly hair slipped from underneath his hat and flopped in his face. Bek turned around, stating, “All that’s out there is death, hatred, and ruin, and you know it more than some. That is, at least until we bring peace. You should focus on your duties as a recorder, you hold the future of the world in your hands.” For the first time, Shalom turned his head to look up at the tan-skinned man, meeting his brown gaze. “Master Bek .. is what I’m doing here really helping anyone?” There was a moment of silence, before the older man nodded. “What we are doing will not be done in a day, Shalom. Not even for many years, you know this. Peace takes decades of work and sacrifice to achieve, for so many would rather choose violence.” “I know, you’ve told me all that before.” Shalom looked down. “Sometimes I wonder if I could do more out there.” Bek shook his head. “The intel you gather for the White Knights is invaluable. Trust me, you’re doing your part .. this is where we need you, in here. Out there, you wouldn’t last a day, and you’ll bring no help to the world if you’re dead. But you won’t help anyone by wasting power resources and staring out a window for hours either.” Shalom felt rather guilty at that, and slowly nodded. “I’m sorry. I’ll do my part .. I just .. was tired of watching .. everything.” Something in his master’s eyes softened. “I know. One day, Shalom. One day this will all be over and done with. I truly believe that. Now I want to do some research on that camera, and set the system straight again.” He walked into Shalom’s personal room, and the boy followed slowly. Despite the honesty in Bek’s eyes and tone, sometimes Shalom had to wonder if all the brutal acts he recorded .. really helped the White Knights move forward with their goal of saving the world from itself. If he could ever bring about any change at all. Or if the world would just tear itself to pieces, and make him record every horrific second. ><>< The patter of feet mixed with clopping hooves and rumbling engines, a tumult of voices, and a general layer of dirt that seemed to hang in the air. Tall buildings, made half of brick and half of metal, rose toward the sky in close proximity to each other, arching bridges of rusted steel connecting them in a spiderweb of human achievement. The narrow, crowded streets were hazy with dust and smoke, bazars filled otherwise dark alleys, turning them into festivals of color and light. Hundreds of voices spoke as one, though they all said different things at different times, creating a constant hum of life that never ceased. No one really took any notice of the one girl who hurried through the crowds, tattered leather bag slapping against her long legs as she ran. She dodged in and out of the masses of people, alone, and somehow managing to look out of place in a thousand. Maybe it was the fact she was alone. While most people walked in groups, she had no one beside her, ahead of her, or following her, she was by herself. Maybe it was the stony look in her hazel eyes, a look of fierceness and determination. Maybe it was her light hair and skin, an odd sight in that city of warmer tones. Maybe it was her wiry, tall frame in comparison to her youthful face. Likely, it was all those things. She didn’t seem to notice any of this, her eyes seemed fastened on a place ahead of her, someplace she was stolidly headed to, but couldn’t yet see. Her dirty boots and tattered clothes told any who looked upon her how poor she was, as well as the smudges of grime on every bit of her skin that wasn’t covered. She finally slowed her running as she reached a shadowed store-front. This place truly earned the title ‘hole in the wall’, it was crammed into the base of a tower-like building as an afterthought. Just a few feet above the door, a low bridge sprouted from the brick-work, arching across the street and connecting with the building on the opposite side. The windows of the small store were so filthy, they were opaque. They served as a bulletin board of sorts, sporting signs about the business inside. They weren’t made very well; just messages such as ‘trade junk for cash!’, ‘relics wanted here!’, and ‘busted? Doesn’t matter, we by yur tech!’ scrawled across old, splintered boards in dripping black or brownish ink. The girl bent down, opening the flap of her old bag and taking a quick peek at its contents, as if to ensure it was the right thing. She then grabbed the nob of the door, complete with stained glass panel in the upper part of it, that would have been very pretty if the colors could have shone through the dirt. She pulled it open, walking into the dark interior of the building, which, for its unimpressive store front, had a good amount of length. Lamps lit the shop, shelves stacked with tech ranging from computers to mechanical body parts, to firearms, to goggles, to pieces of engines. Really, the only thing they seemed to have in common was the fact they all were very well used. “Lynn!” The girl looked over to the counter, and the woman standing there. “Ya haven’t been in fer two weeks! We thought the worst had happened. Kept regrettin’ not giving you that gun on interest .. what’d you do this time?” “The only thing that happened was I found an old computer an’ couldn’t fix it. But I don’t wanna give up on it, it’s from before the wars, Maria .. that’s real rare. I haven’t found another like it.” The lady’s dark eyes sparkled with interest as she leaned over the counter. “Lemme see!” Lynn climbed onto one of the bar-like stools, reaching into her bag and pulling out a dusty black cube about a foot tall and six inches across. It really didn’t look like much more than that, but the two seemed excited about it. “One of those! We’ve only ever had one other .. an’ this one’s in better shape too. Ya couldn’t fix this?” Maria asked it incredulously, as if Lynn had committed a great shortcoming. “Hey, it’s not my fault, some of the wires burned through. Lookit the back here, something singed it pretty good, and if ya take off the panel, there’s some internal damage. I was wondering if Eugene could fix it.” “He left this mornin’ on business. I can give it a try though .. where’d you find this thing?” Lynn shrugged in reply, clearly not about to divulge that piece of information. “In its state right now, what’d ya say it’s worth?” “Oh ..” Maria had removed the rear panel and was looking it over. “It’s still real valuable. I’d give ya that rifle ya wanted, an’ throw in some charges and a pistol. Even a little cash after that.” “Seriously?” Lynn seemed hardly able to believe her luck. “An’ what if I had its screen?” Maria snorted. “If you did .. screens rarely survived that age, they’re one in a million ..” Her words died off as Lynn lifted a small, flat pad from her bag, and laid it on the counter. Her small, nimble fingers pushed several buttons, and a hologram in the form of a rectangular screen blinked to life above the piece, glitching a little, but maintaining its shape. Neon blue letters blinked across it, reading, ‘Hello. Last log in; four hundred and seventy-one years ago, time, eight forty-seven a. m. status; offline, computer not found. Please connect device to tower and provide password to continue.’ “Ya .. how .. what’d ya have ta fight ta get this thing?” Lynn shrugged. “Let’s just say I want the firearms fer a good reason.” Maria shook her head. “I can imagine .. what else have ya got to show me?” The young scavenger pulled some chunky pieces of metal and a number of wires from her bag, dropping them on the counter. “Just some junk.” Lynn reached for the hologram screen, pushing several buttons and watching as the transparent blue surface flickered and vanished. She placed it in her bag again, and Maria stated, “That thing’s invaluable .. name yer price on it.” “Name my price?” Lynn sounded amazed. She couldn’t remember ever choosing a price for anything, once. “I actually hoped .. you and Eugene could fix the tower, so I could see how it worked. Then I’ll sell it.” Maria looked somewhat disappointed, but she nodded in understanding. “We’ll get it runnin’ again, come back inna couple days. Ya know where the guns are, get yer rifle and pick out a pistol, I’ll get yer money and a couple charges fer ya.” Lynn smiled a rare, crooked smile, sliding off her seat and hurrying to the rack holding the firearms. She carefully picked up the rifle she’d had an eye on for a few months, feeling it’s smooth, dully polished barrel. It was simple, but well-made and deadly, which were the qualities she was looking for. She slipped its plain leather strap over her head, enjoying the comforting feeling of it laying across her back. Her previous gun had met a rather irreparable end. Two guns in one day .. and charges for them as well! She really needed to find more computers like that. Lynn ran her hand across several of the pistols, finally deciding on a standard sized one with mostly worn away silver detailing. She stroked its worn bronze surface as she returned to her seat and Maria walked out of the back room, laying six charges on the counter, along with a number of silver coins, and even a few gold ones. “Three for the rifle, three for the pistol. If you need more, bring in something I need, ya know how it goes.” “Sure.” Lynn shrugged in complete understanding, shouldering the rifle better as she collected her goods, depositing them in her satchel. “I’ll be back in a couple days.” “Hey Lynn.” She looked over her shoulder at Maria, raising an eyebrow. The lady sighed. “Ya know ya could always work fer us.” Lynn had heard that before, so she shrugged. “Maybe, if my scavenging luck ever runs out. But fer now I’ll stay where I am.” “If yer luck runs out Lynn, you’ll be dead.” Maria’s eyes were sad. The young girl paused, before nodding slowly. “I know. See ya soon Maria.” She flashed the shop lady a half-hearted, crooked smile, before trudging out of the shop, her newly acquired weapons making her look older than she really was. Lynn stepped out into the shadow of the pathway arching above the shop. She took a deep breath, Maria had pressed her to give up scavenging before, but she’d never been quite that frank. Of course, Lynn understood she could die. She just did her best not to focus on it. She shook herself, walking out into the sunlight and swirling dust of an already warm early morning. Time to drop into a bazar and get some provisions. Lynn knew the way well, and her feet followed a path she’d walked many times before, she barely even thought about where she was actually going. The bazar she ended up at was crowded and it took her a while to find the things she needed. Even in the day, it was still a festival of light as it sat in the long shadows of several buildings and the bridges connecting them. She walked out into the sunlight again about ten minutes later, her bag heavier than before. Lynn pulled out a loaf of bread and broke a piece off it, munching on it as she leaned against the warm stones of the building, observing the streets. They weren’t quite as busy as they had been when she’d first arrived in Mizvah, but there were still plenty of people traversing it. A few glanced at her, but moved on without a care, as loitering was hardly an offence worth mentioning. All of a sudden, she heard the sounds of a struggle, also someone begging for mercy. Lynn blinked, craning her neck to look over or around the people walking through the street, and soon caught sight of what was going on. Three teenagers, somewhat older than her, had a huddled figure pinned on the ground; Lynn couldn’t get a good look at what type of person it was. One of the boys kicked their prisoner, sneering something. Lynn couldn’t pick it up from across the street, but she felt her eyes snap with anger. Filthy gangs .. they thought they could do whatever they wanted. She clenched a hand as another boy grabbed the unfortunate’s mop of hair, wrenching their head up and yelling something in their face. Lynn could now tell it was an older man, weak and bruised badly. She looked at the people in the streets, most who did their best to ignore the brutality of the thugs, but some who stopped to watch with sick interest. No one stopped to help. After all, it wasn’t any of their business. It wasn’t any of hers either. Two voices were yelling in her ears, one telling her to save the man, and the other telling her to look away. As she stood in indecision, the first gang member grabbed the man’s satchel, pulling out a handful of coins. “That all ya got, filth? Ya weren’t even worth robbin’, yer just poor scum. It’d be a favor if we killed ya, ya an’ all yer kind, peasant!” Lynn’s mind was suddenly made up, and her eyes burned with hate. She whipped out her new pistol, clicking the safety off and running across the street, yelling, “Get back!” She shoved her way through the crowd, most people quickly moved out of her way, but some didn’t notice her until she pushed past them. The three instigators turned to look at her, staring in disbelief. One of them laughed, letting go of the old man and turning his evil gaze upon the girl. “Who do ya think ya are?” “I’m the one with a gun aimed at ya.” Lynn’s eyes flashed darkly. “An’ I will shoot.” One of the thugs was reaching for his rusty shotgun, but he caught sight of Lynn’s gaze and paused. The one that seemed to be the leader looked a little less certain, but he still sneered, “Yer just a kid.” Lynn raised an eyebrow. “Ya wanna risk it? Be my guest. But if I were you, I’d back off and leave the man alone.” The third gang member whipped out a pistol of his own, growling, “It’s three against one little girl!” “Maybe so.” Lynn’s face suddenly twisted into a dark grin. “I can kill two a ya before the survivor kills me. Who wants ta die?” ><>< Bek flicked through multiple cameras, finally coming to one that simply made the display go dark. Shalom watched in silence for a moment, before his master asked, “Do you know when this happened?” “No .. sometime before my last watch and five this morning.” Shalom replied. “I know those things last forever, but they’re bound to die at some point.” He looked at his master rather quizzically, wishing Bek would give an actual explanation or an honest theory .. or maybe even agree with him, but as usual, the man just silently shook his head. Shalom sighed, but didn’t press him. There really was no point. “I’ll have to have it replaced.” Shalom knew Bek was complaining, even if his flat voice didn’t seem to change much. “Whoever’s doing this ..” Shalom looked up again in interest .. a little too much interest to please Bek. “Was it sabotage?” “Of course not. The cameras are nearly impossible to find for the untrained eye.” “But what if .. there was a traitor to the White Knights, one who knew where to look?” Shalom simply couldn’t help but fantasize. “And if I could catch them .. maybe ..” Bek raised an eyebrow. “We’ve been through this before. You want to be a hacker, not a recorder. But you are a recorder, and you need to focus on the worthy task you have been given.” Shalom’s shoulders slumped a little, and he sighed, all ambition slipping away as he realized the futility of his own words. He sat back down in his chair, wishing Bek would leave .. at least when he was alone, he could dream. “I’ll take the override off the system.” “I’ll watch.” Shalom sighed, his fingers dully tapping a few keys. A few moments later, the tinny voice spoke, confirming his actions. “System reset. All original settings restored.” “There.” Bek nodded. “Good. Be assured I’ll be keeping a closer eye on you. And you should keep a closer eye on the streets. I’ll see that camera twenty-one is replaced.” He turned to go, and Shalom looked at the screens, absently rotating the cameras in search of the main streets. The first one he came to had a steady stream of people walking down it, but no real activity to speak of, at least in terms of violence. Still, he turned the recording on just in case. The next few cameras were catching nothing of great interest either .. suddenly Shalom froze, and his heart sank. Three thugs had a ragged figure pinned on the side of a busy street, and despite the obvious need, scores of people simply passed, doing absolutely nothing, just like they always did. There was a click as he pressed record, and slumped back in his chair, not wanting to see the remorseless but inevitable outcome of the confrontation. A sudden flash of light color caught his attention as a person pushed their way through the crowd to the thugs and their victim. Shalom sat upright, and Bek’s footsteps stopped at his sudden movement. “What is it?” “I don’t know.” Shalom didn’t look up from the screen, he was fixated on the scene unfolding before him. The person was a girl, Shalom suddenly realized, in ragged clothes with surprisingly light skin and bronze-colored hair. However, the thing that he noticed most was the drawn pistol in her hand, pointed directly at the offenders. Even if he wasn’t a part of the action firsthand, Shalom felt himself tense, and he quickly pushed some keys, zooming in on this unprecedented occasion .. no one ever stood up against the gangs, at least not that he had seen. The girl yelled at them, and whatever she said caused them to hesitate, and a crowd began to gather around to gawk. Shalom hit some keys, and the volume flared to life, bringing a chaotic assortment of noise, but also the girl’s voice. “Maybe so. I can kill two a ya before the survivor kills me. Who wants ta die?” What was she doing? Bek was standing behind Shalom now, looking over his shoulder. Both awaited the outcome in silence, intent on watching. One of the gang members scowled deeply, yelling, “Kill ‘er, she can’t talk ta us like that!” The girl threw herself to the side as a gun went off, sending a flash of light at the place she’d been standing seconds before. She pulled the trigger on her own weapon, and the thug who’d shot at her flew backwards, crumpling to the ground with a burned hole in his chest. The girl ran forward before his companions could react, shooting again mere feet from another of the boys, a blow that killed him before he could raise his shotgun. She slid to a stop, leveling her pistol on the final member, but he bolted off into the crowd, shoving people aside as he fled for his life. His assailant kept her gun trained on him for a few seconds, before she let her hand fall to her side. The city was still filled with noise, but there was enough of a hush for Shalom to pick up on her low words as her hazel eyes burned with intensity. “I told ya two would die.” A few moments passed while the girl remained motionless, free hand clenched and eyes snapping with anger. The crowd around her soon began to dissipate, each going his own way, and the volume of the city returned to normal. Shalom didn’t look away, though .. he couldn’t. She just stood there, with two bodies at her feet, yet there was only anger in her expression, not fear. And it seemed that fear was the thing that consumed so many in Mizvah. The older man she had defended dragged himself to her side, clasping her arm, and she jumped, turning to face him. The noise around them was too loud for Shalom to discern his words, but from the expression of complete gratitude on his face, it wasn’t hard to guess. The girl smiled shakily, helping the ragged man to his feet, and Shalom would have given a lot to hear their conversation. Slowly, he pressed a few keys, turning the volume off, and returning the chambers to their previous silence. A moment later, he turned to Bek, hardly able to hold his excitement in. “Master, she saved him! At her own expense, her own peril!” Even Bek looked excited .. at least, as excited as he possibly could. “Yes, this is what we are searching for .. a person who dares to stand up.” His face fell, and he shook his head. “But she’s just one, and heroes don’t last long on the streets. People brave enough to do good always meet a sorry and quick end.” Shalom gave Bek a look, wondering why he had to ruin everything, including one of the only good deeds he’d ever witnessed. His master sighed, admitting, “She seems able to defend herself, but that doesn’t mean much in Mizvah. Still, record her closely, perhaps the White Knights would desire she join us.” For once, Shalom found himself interested in an assignment, and he nodded quickly. Above all, he wanted to see that girl again. Bek coughed, stating, “After that, I need to report to headquarters. Keep focused Shalom, who knows, perhaps something with come from this.” He turned, walking quickly from the room, Shalom looked back at the screen, but neither the girl or the man was in view anymore, just the two dead thugs. The room filled with the soft noise of clicking keys as he flipped through camera after camera, searching for any sign of a pale girl with brassy hair and a limping, cloaked man, but they seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth. Shalom frowned, feeling something he’d not felt in a good while, determination. Determination to find the first person he’d ever seen commit a selfless act. The girl could have easily died instead of the two thugs, and yet she’d stood up against their evil. Bek was right, she was a hero. She was a ray of light. Chapter 2 The Recorder By all rights, Shalom should have been focusing on the streets of Mizvah, but he had other things on his mind. He had all the cameras watching the main streets recording, but he wasn’t paying attention to them, he was searching old footage for any sign of the blonde-haired girl. Good deeds make good worlds. Shalom had always clung to those words, they were the last memories he had of his mother, before he’d been recruited by the White Knights. He’d waited so long to see someone act like the girl he’d almost given up hope of finding nobility like his mother had always told him he should strive for. He’d began to think that everyone in the city of Mizvah was purely evil .. that he was a failure for never finding the answers. After all, Bek always said the better he did his job, the more success he’d have .. but until now, no matter how hard he tried, nothing ever changed. But now, everything had changed. Because she was enough. She could teach him to be a hero. However, disturbingly, he could barely find a trace of her. Panic began to set in. What was she, an angel, inhuman and spectral, unable to ever be found again? Shalom almost believed he’d never even seen her, and he probably would have labeled her a fragment of fantasy were it not for the file he recorded of her. Finally, in a file dated from two and a half weeks prior, he found her. “Yes!” He exclaimed to no one in particular, tapping on the file to expand it. All the other screens darkened, allowing the selected file to play without distraction. Sure enough, there she was, walking in the crowded streets, he bronze hair and ivory skin making her easy to distinguish. Despite his elation at his success, Shalom frowned as he zoomed in on her. Her light skin was blotchy with red and brown, like she’d been in the sun too much, and wounds laced across the right side of her face. She looked exhausted as she stumbled along, head down, eyes half closed. Suddenly, a man bumped into her, knocking her over without so much as a second glance. She toppled to the ground, revealing torn, bloodstained knees and legs. She glared in his direction before pulling herself onto her feet, clutching the lumpy bag at her side closer. There really wasn’t much else to see, as the girl walked for another ten or so minutes, before stopping at the door of a tiny looking shop and wearily pushing the door open. She vanished from sight, but Shalom continued watching to see when she came out. What had happened to her? Something awful, apparently. “Shalom. Is this much recording necessary? Battery levels at seventy percent.” The tinny computer voice interrupted his research. He sighed heavily, grumbling, “Let me check.” He chose a few random cameras and tapped the ‘off’ button on each one. As he did this, the lights in his adjoining room flickered on, signaling the approach of sunset. Through the recording cameras the streets were darkening, filling with man-made light. “Thank you. Remember, you have two hours until your shift is complete.” “I haven’t forgotten.” Shalom focused on the recording he’d been playing, considering rewinding it to see if he had missed the girl, but she walked out of the shop. She looked considerably better, and her bag was empty. He watched her as she began walking back the way she’d come, veering from that path and entering a bazar market. With a sigh, Shalom prepared to wait for her to come out, but was again interrupted by his computer. “Shalom, camera two has lost connection with the mainframe. Cause, severe external damage.” Shalom started to his feet. Camera two? That was on this very building, and he knew where! “Keep recording, I’m going to investigate!” “Inadvisable, please wait for …” Shalom ran out of the room before he heard the end of the prerecorded warning. He bolted through his living space and into the hall with its nine-panel window. The door near it opened with a bang, accompanied by the patter of his feet on the dusty, dark stairs. Shalom regretted not bringing a light. However he reached the door at the top of the stairs without incident, and slammed his hand against the screen of the unlocking pad. It blinked twice, before the clank of the lock proved him successful. Shalom yanked the door open and ran out onto the roof, into the muggy, metal-smelling air of a typical Mizvahian night. However something on the roof was anything but typical. That was the figure of a person, standing over camera three with a shining scythe raised. A splintering crash echoed through the night as the trespasser brought the tip of the weapon’s blade directly into the lens of the device, and flying glass shards shone in the light of the orange tinted moons. Shalom halted his rush, staring at the intruder in amazement as they straightened up, and suddenly wheeled around to face him. Instantly, Shalom regretted his rash and inadvisable behavior. He started to turn for the stairs, but the figure jolted foreward, covering the distance between them in several leaps. Shalom found himself being plowed over, and all his breath left him as he hit the concrete roof. All he could do was gape up and his assailant, who, from their frame, he guessed was a girl not much older than him. “Wha .. what are you doing here?” Shalom’s voice grated rapidly in his ears, surprising him. There was no answer as the girl stared at him, almost evaluating him. A dusky blue scarf hid her nose, mouth, and hair, but her sharp brown eyes and the dark skin that framed them peeped from beneath her disguise. Shalom realized he was hyperventilating, waiting in terror for the girl to plunge her scythe into him, just like she had done to the camera. Slowly, she lowered her weapon, brown eyes glittering with something that might well have been pity. Then she leapt backwards, turning and bolting across the roof. Shalom dragged himself into a sitting position, calling, “Wait! Wh .. who are you?” She never paused. Just like she never paused as she vaulted over the three foot concrete barrier on the edge of the roof and into empty space beyond. Shalom couldn’t hold in his gasp of horror .. she’d jumped to her death! He staggered onto his feet and to the place where the girl had leaped to her doom and stared over the rail. The street below was bathed in the warm light of solar lamps, but no broken body lay upon the pavement. Shalom blinked in disbelief. Where .. and how .. and why? He leaned his head against a shaking hand as he got his breath back, before he stared up into the night sky. After a moment of gazing at the two moons, he staggered back to the stairs and down them. He entered his work room to be greeted by his computer. “Shalom. Please follow protocol, for once.” He had to wonder if someone recorded those types of messages solely for him. “Er .. yes .. send a message to Bek, please.” “Yes Shalom. You may speak when ready.” “Bek .. I need your help .. camera’s two and three have been destroyed and .. I saw who did it. Please come as soon as you can. Oh .. and I’m alright.” He added that as an afterthought. “Send.” “Message sent. Awaiting response.” Shalom sat down in his chair, realizing the file he’d been watching had played through to the end. He turned it off with a despondent click, allowing the screens to return to the recording cameras. Bek would come soon, no doubt, with a pile of questions. But Shalom doubted he had the answer. ><>< TBC~ Untamed We are wild 03:45, November 5, 2017 (UTC)